Northwestern vs. Illinois State Game Preview

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Be very, very, very careful, Northwestern. As bad as it was to start the season with a loss to Western Michigan, this could get a whole lot worse in a hurry. Illinois State is that good.

The No. 9 FCS team in the country, it’s the opener for an ISU team with a tremendous rushing attack and a team used to playing in the big games. Losing to North Dakota State in the FCS national title game two years ago and giving a decent push to Iowa to start last season, playing a Big Ten team in Evanston won’t seem like that big a deal.

Can the Northwestern run defense get the job done? A stunning disaster against the Broncos last week the spotlight is on the front seven to be better in the backfield and tougher on first downs. The offense was fine, the punting game tremendous, and the chances were there until gagging late. The Cats can’t go 0-2.

They won’t. They’ll come up with a better defensive performance, but they’ll have to fight too hard for the win.

Northwestern vs. Illinois State Prediction

Final Score: Northwestern 27, Illinois State 17

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